Movie · 2016 · Family, Animation, Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy, Music · 1h 32m · PG · English
Curator score: 1.5/10 (381K ratings)
Find your happy place.
Overview
After the monstrous Bergens invade Troll Village, Princess Poppy, the happiest Troll ever born, and overly-cautious, curmudgeonly outcast Branch set off on a journey to rescue her friends. Their mission is full of adventure and mishaps, as this mismatched duo try to tolerate each other long enough to get the job done.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.5/10
IMDb: 6.4/10
Letterboxd: 2.79/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Metacritic: 55
TMDB: 6.6/10
Director
Mike Mitchell
Production
DreamWorks Animation
Cast
Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Zooey Deschanel, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Christine Baranski, Russell Brand, James Corden, Jeffrey Tambor, Ron Funches, Aino Jawo, Caroline Hjelt, Kunal Nayyar, Quvenzhané Wallis, John Cleese, Gwen Stefani, Iris Dohrn, Liam Henry, Glozell Green, Susanna Reid, Meg DeAngelis
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A bright, candy-colored musical adventure with genuine visual invention and a few surprisingly affecting song moments, but also a lot of broad, hyperactive humor that won’t land for everyone. It works best as a feel-good kids’ movie with strong pop energy rather than a classic family favorite.
Best for
families with younger kids
viewers who like pop-heavy animated musicals
fans of loud, colorful, joke-a-minute comedies
people who enjoy sincere, upbeat stories about friendship
Skip if
you dislike constant singing and pop covers
you want sharp wit over broad comedy
you’re allergic to sugary, high-energy animation
you prefer family films with more emotional subtlety
Overview
Trolls is exactly what it looks like: a neon-bright, sugar-rush animated musical built around positivity, friendship, and pop songs. The movie’s strongest asset is its visual design, which turns every frame into a plush, glittery toybox of color and texture. It has a real sense of playful invention, and the soundtrack-driven structure gives it a breezy, crowd-pleasing momentum.
Worth noting
The humor is more uneven. Some jokes are delightfully silly, while others lean hard into manic, self-aware studio-comedy energy. That said, the central odd-couple dynamic between Poppy and Branch gives the story enough heart to keep it from feeling like pure noise, and a few musical set pieces land with surprising emotional force.
Bottom line
It’s not a movie for viewers who need restraint or originality in their family entertainment, but it is a polished, cheerful package that knows its audience. If you want something colorful, harmless, and musically upbeat, it does the job well enough to earn a cautious recommendation.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Mr_Bamason (1★) · 6482 likes
You're laughing. Singing killed his grandma, and you're laughing
kj (3.5★) · 2740 likes
you want me to sing? the same thing that killed branch’s grandma?
James (Schaffrillas) (2★) · 2444 likes
Bro why do you need to autotune Justin Timberlake, he's JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE JUST LET HIM SING NORMALLY
Framesofnick (3★) · 1384 likes
I hate that I enjoyed this…
meg✨ (4★) · 1134 likes
If you close your eyes, it’s like Pitch Perfect but better.